Rockets & Reach: UAE Doubles Down on HIMARS, ATACMS

Sept 29/14: DSCA. The US DSCA announces the United Arab Emirates official export request for more M142 HIMARS systems, rockets, and missiles, at an estimated cost of up to $900 million. The principal contractor will be Lockheed Martin Missile and Fire Control in Dallas, TX. This request involves up to:

2 M1089A1P2 5-ton Wrecker (tow) FMTV trucks with the Long Term Armor Strategy (LTAS) Cab and B-Kit add-on armor. They can get a HIMARS vehicle out of trouble in case of treacherous sand, mud, an overly close acquaintance with the local roadside ditch, etc.

100 M57 ATACMS T2K Block IA missiles. These missiles have a 300 km range, and pack 300 M74 submunitions that explode to cover a wide area with fragmentation and armor-piercing bomblets. Each pod carries 1 missile.

65 M31A1 GMLRS (Guided Multiple Launch Rocket) Unitary Pods. Their fast response time and GPS-guided ability to hit buildings and other hardened structures with a 196 pound single warhead have proven very useful. Each 6-rocket pod carries 227mm rockets with a range of about 70-85 km.

90 Low-Cost Reduced-Range Practice Rocket (RRPR) pods

Plus support equipment; communications equipment; spare and repair parts; test sets; batteries; laptop computers; publications and technical data; personnel training and equipment; systems integration support; a Quality Assurance Team and a Technical Assistance Fielding Team support; and other US Government and contractor support.

If a contract is signed, implementation will require the assignment of up to 10 US government or contractor representatives in the UAE for up to 1 year for equipment de-processing/fielding, system checkout and training. Sources: US DSCA #14-42, “UAE – High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) Launchers”.

Keep reading for the whole story with recent events put in context

M142 HIMARS
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In September 2006, the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency announced the United Arab Emirates official request High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (M142 HIMARS) as well as associated equipment that included GPS-guided missiles with a 300 km reach.

Subsequent years have seen that request fulfilled, and additional requests have been placed for rocket, missiles, and now a second set of HIMARS systems…

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Contracts and Key Events

ATACMS from HIMARS(click to enlarge)

This represent all publicly-announced contracts to date that point to the UAE order, and potentially-related events and tests.

Sept 29/14: DSCA. The US DSCA announces the United Arab Emirates official export request for more M142 HIMARS systems, rockets, and missiles, at an estimated cost of up to $900 million. The principal contractor will be Lockheed Martin Missile and Fire Control in Dallas, TX. This request involves up to:

2 M1089A1P2 5-ton Wrecker (tow) FMTV trucks with the Long Term Armor Strategy (LTAS) Cab and B-Kit add-on armor. They can get a HIMARS vehicle out of trouble in case of treacherous sand, mud, an overly close acquaintance with the local roadside ditch, etc.

100 M57 ATACMS T2K Block IA missiles. These missiles have a 300 km range, and pack 300 M74 submunitions that explode to cover a wide area with fragmentation and armor-piercing bomblets. Each pod carries 1 missile.

65 M31A1 GMLRS (Guided Multiple Launch Rocket) Unitary Pods. Their fast response time and GPS-guided ability to hit buildings and other hardened structures with a 196 pound single warhead have proven very useful. Each 6-rocket pod carries 227mm rockets with a range of about 70-85 km.

90 Low-Cost Reduced-Range Practice Rocket (RRPR) pods

Plus support equipment; communications equipment; spare and repair parts; test sets; batteries; laptop computers; publications and technical data; personnel training and equipment; systems integration support; a Quality Assurance Team and a Technical Assistance Fielding Team support; and other US Government and contractor support.

If a contract is signed, implementation will require the assignment of up to 10 US government or contractor representatives in the UAE for up to 1 year for equipment de-processing/fielding, system checkout and training. Sources: US DSCA #14-42, “UAE – High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) Launchers”.

DSCA: HIMARS order #2 plus rockets

Nov 10/11: Vehicles. A $19.1 million firm-fixed-price contract for 129 FMTVs; 11 armor B-Kits; 20 FMTVs; and 20 FMTV “High Mobility Artillery Rocket System B-Kits; with install for United Arab Emirates.” Work will be performed in Oshkosh, WI, with an estimated completion date of June 30/13 (W56HZV-09-D-0159).

The wording above is somewhat unclear, but Oshkosh has now confirmed that the UAE order is just 20 trailers and armoring kits. The Feb 3/09 announcement from BAE suggested that the UAE had already bought its FMTV chassis, and the timing of the UAE’s rocket orders suggested a working capability already.

June 14/11: Rockets. Lockheed Martin’s Full Rate Production Lot VI order for GMLRS rockets includes weapons for the UAE – but they won’t say how many. Read “GMLRS Rockets: FRP-VI Orders”

Taiwan doesn’t operate the M270 MLRS or M142 HIMARS, but its Thunderbolt 2000 system mounted on a HEMTT heavy truck does carry rocket pod options that include 2 sets of 6 227mm rockets each.

Work will be performed in Grand Prairie, TX; Lufkin, TX; Ocala, FL; Camden, AR; and Chelmsford, MA, with an estimated completion date of Nov 30/13. One bid was solicited with one bid received by U.S. Army Contracting Command, AMCOM in Redstone Arsenal, AL (W31P4Q-11-C-0001).

Nov 3/10: The US DSCA announces [PDF] the United Arab Emirates’ official request to buy up to 100 Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) rockets, type unspecified, and 60 Low Cost Reduced-Range Practice Rockets (LCRRPR), plus the usual publications and technical documentation, training, and U.S. government and contractor support. The estimated cost is up to $140 million.

The UAE has asked for ATACMS missiles before, with a request for 202 missiles and 60 practice rockets in September 2006. There was no subsequent announcement of any sale, and this DSCA announcement does not cite the UAE as already having the equipment in inventory.

The prime contractor will be Lockheed Martin Industries located in Horizon City, TX and Camden, AR. If the notice becomes a contract, implementation will require up to 10 U.S. government or contractor representatives to travel to the United Arab Emirates for a period of up to 1 year for equipment de-processing/fielding, system checkout and training.

DPICM rounds pack the missile with exploding grenades, and are especially effective against masses of troops in lightly armed vehicles. See Sept 21/06 entry for further details.

Work is to be performed in East Camden, AZ (76.8%), Grand Prairie, TX (20.8%), and Orlando, FL (2.4%) with an estimated completion date of Oct 31/11. The U.S. Army’s Aviation & Missile Command in Redstone Arsenal, AL manages this contract (W31P4Q-08-C-0021).

Work is to be performed at Sealy, TX, with an estimated completion date of Aug 31/10. The U.S. Army Tank & Automotive Command in Warren, MI manages this contract (W56HZV-08-C-0460).

July 2/08: Record shot. The U.S. Army establishes a new distance record for the GPS-guided GMLRS rocket, launching a rocket from an M142 HIMARS vehicle and destroying a target 85 km/ 52.8 miles from the launch site at White Sands Missile Range, NM. The previous maximum effective range for GMLRS was publicly listed as 70 km.

Lockheed Martin’s release says that the U.S. Army’s decision to test the GMLRS out to this range was based on the system’s demonstrated performance during more than 750 successful firings on the battlefield.

May 28/08: Testing.Lockheed Martin announces a test of its new Universal Fire Control System (UFCS), by using it to launch its first GPS-guided GMLRS rockets from a HIMARS wheeled vehicle launcher at White Sands Missile Range, NM. Four GMLRS rockets flew a pre-planned trajectory and successfully engaged their targets.

The UFCS is an evolutionary block upgrade of the MLRS Fire Control System that lets it fire GMLRS munitions with anti-jamming technology. The upgrade is also designed to enhance reliability, and mitigate electronics obsolescence problems.

3 “M108A1 Wreckers”; DID believes they mean the M1089, an FMTV truck variant with towing and winching capability. They can get a HIMARS vehicle out of trouble in case of treacherous sand, mud, an overly close acquaintance with the local roadside ditch, etc.

130 M31 Unitary High Explosive GMLRS Pods – these have been used in the current Iraq war, where their sudden strike and GPS-guided ability to hit buildings and other hardened structures with their 196 pound single warhead have proven very useful. Each 6-rocket pod carries 227mm rockets with a range of about 60-70 km.

101 M39A1 Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) Block 1A Anti-Personnel-Anti-Material Rocket Pods. These missiles have a 300 km range, and pack 300 M74 submunitions that explode to cover a wide area with fragmentation and armor-piercing bomblets. Each pod carries 1 missile.

101 M39A1 ATACMS Block 1A Unitary Rocket Pods; this variant packs a single 500 pound explosive warhead; if you want to take down a building in a few minutes from 150 miles away, this is the weapon you want. Each pod carries 1 missile.

60 Multiple Launcher Rocket Systems (MLRS) Practice Rocket Pods.

The principal contractors will be Lockheed Martin Missile and Fire Control at Dallas, TX (rockets, system, prime contractor) and Stewart & Stevenson at Sealy, TX (truck platform). The UAE requested offsets, to be defined in negotiations.

Implementation of this sale will require the assignment of a U.S. Government Quality Assurance Team of up to 5 contractor representatives to the UAE for two weeks to assist in the delivery and deployment of the HIRMARS and sequential deliveries. There will be a 3-person Technical Assistance Fielding Team in the UAE for training mission support for up to two years. A U.S. Government representative will remain in country for a minimum of two years in order to assist in the security assistance aspects of the mission.